- If found guilty, Manchester City could face severe penalties such as a significant points deduction or expulsion from EPL
- Al Mubarak expressed strong confidence in proving the club's innocence
MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued a direct message to supporters Saturday as the club face the potential of losing their landmark case with the Premier League over alleged financial breaches.
City have reportedly been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against the club, which could result in punishments such as a huge points deduction or even expulsion from English soccer’s top division.
The club have always denied wrongdoing and Al Mubarak restated that stance in a letter to fans.
“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.
“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position.”
Confidentiality conditions, he said, prevented him from revealing that information.
“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed,” Al Mubarak said. “We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that opportunity.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to add his voice to the issue Friday when posting on X “114” seemingly in reference to the charges.
Mamdani is a fan of City rival Arsenal.
The Premier League accused City in February 2023 of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18.
Questions about the Abu Dhabi-backed club’s financial dealings have hung over City after supposed leaked emails and documents, likely hacked, were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel.
In 2020, UEFA ruled City had committed “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play regulations from 2012-16. But a two-year ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because allegations were either rejected or found to have happened too long ago to be investigated.
The Premier League’s case, which accused City of more than 100 breaches including providing misleading information about their finances and failure to co-operate with the investigation, has run for more than three years.
City have been the most dominant team in England over the last 15 years, winning eight Premier League titles since 2012 as well as the Champions League in 2023. Over the period in question — 2009-18 — City won the league three times, in 2012, 2014 and 2018.




